


Extenuating Circumstances

by 1shinymess (magpie4shinies)



Series: Extenuating Circumstances [1]
Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-25
Updated: 2011-10-25
Packaged: 2017-10-24 23:06:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/268901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magpie4shinies/pseuds/1shinymess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Donna and Rachel are both upset with the situation in the second episode. Rachel ran into a red-eyed Mike in the ladies' room. They may or may not draw the right conclusions. It works out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Extenuating Circumstances

**Author's Note:**

> I'm the only person who's looked these over for a quality check, so I'm sorry for any errors that remain.

Donna liked Rachel. She enjoyed their occasional lunch date on the rare occasion they could get together for them.

She nearly skipped this one, with Harvey's black mood distracting and concerning her in equal parts, and he didn't look up when she let him know she was going to grab something at _Nero's_. Donna hesitated, nearly deciding to stay. If he'd looked a little more disappointed and a little less angry, she might have, but she didn't want to be the target of Harvey's temper, especially when she was still upset herself.

She was still worked up by the entire situation and her inability to do anything to help Harvey when she got to the café. It didn't help that the first thing Rachel said after they got their drinks involved Mike.

"Seriously, what is _up_ with Specter and Ross?"

Mouth twisting, Donna shook her head and then sighed. "Harvey's taking a _huge_ risk," she said. "I can't get more specific, but Harvey's really going out on a limb for him, and Mike--"

"Got manipulated?" Rachel offered, mouth pursing slightly.

Donna rolled her eyes. "He is, in fact, an adult, disregarding the ties and the haircut," she pointed out. "He isn't as naive as he seems."

"He may be an adult but he pretty obviously has _no idea_ what he's getting into with these guys," Rachel pointed out. "Did you hear what their fight was about?"

Donna's mouth twisted and she leans back, taking a long sip from her iced tea through the straw to force herself to think through what she was about to say. "He really let Harvey down."

Rachel frowned, head tilting slightly to the side in confusion. "He told me what happened, Donna. Yeah, it was stupid, but Mike's been working here for _a week._ Does _anyone_ know how to handle Louis Litt after a week?"

 _That isn't fair,_ Donna thought. Mostly because it was true. "...good point," she said after a long pause. Then she sighed. "Did he really talk to you? About..." she lifted a hand like she was holding a cigarette (or something else) to her mouth.

Rachel leaned back a little, smoothing a hand down her skirt and nodded. "I ran into him in the restroom--yeah, the women's room."

Donna frowned. "Uh...I didn't think he was still that high."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "He might've been feeling it still, but no. He was about to cry."

Donna's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" She thought back to when he'd left. She'd been focused on Harvey but she'd noticed Mike's swift walk away, face firmly focused on the floor. He could have been tearing up.

Her expression must have given her away. Rachel nodded and moved on in her campaign. "Harvey didn't even give him the chance to explain, did he?"

Donna hesitated until she finally shook her head. _Shit._ Now she felt bad for thinking badly of him in addition to still being angry at his stupidity. But Harvey probably should've given him a chance to explain. "He did storm out to bitch at Louis, though."

Rachel leaned in curiously. Harvey's dislike for associates was more widely known than hers. "Really."

"Oh yeah," Donna said. "He was _pissed._ "

"...interesting."

Donna nodded and then leaned forward. "Was Mike really _crying_?"

Rachel looked at her significantly and tilted her hand to the side. "Almost."

"That's...interesting." Donna bit her lip. "Are we sure he's straight? I mean. He _did_ hit on you?"

Rachel shrugged, sipping on her water. "A little bit. Only once, though."

Donna pursed her lips together. "Hm..."

Rachel looked at her seriously for a minute and then her mouth twitched. She glanced behind Donna and leaned back expectantly, and Donna gracefully accepted her Cobb Salad.

 _Later,_ she thought, meeting Rachel's eyes.

~

Somehow, they worked it out. Mike got in the next morning and came immediately to Harvey's office, and Donna only fought herself a little before waving him in. She listened to the conversation shamelessly, and her eyebrows inched up at the passion in Mike's voice as he apologized, accepted responsibility and _offered to work for free_ , which was probably a mortal sin for lawyers anywhere.

Harvey should've been all over it, except he had the look on his face like he'd found the missing puzzle piece to finish crafting a thoroughly cowed opposing counsel and Mike left after they hammered out the idea in half-spoken sentences. He looked a little less like a beaten puppy when he left the office and Harvey didn't look angry at all anymore.

Donna couldn't maintain her frustration in the face of his slightly forced stoic acceptance and watched after him thoughtfully. Street smarts didn't necessarily mean he would know how to deal with workplace manipulations. Apparently, he _was_ that naive.

When Harvey stepped out of his office to pick Wyatt up for the emergency meeting with Velocity Aviation, she started getting ready to leave herself. "Don't make him cry again, OK?"

"What?" he asked, turning on his heel to frown at her, mind refocusing on the present rather than the near future.

"Ross. You made him cry yesterday. Zane was pissed. You like her."

"...the paralegal? True." He blinked. "I made him _cry_?"

"So she said." Donna shrugged faintly, eyes dropping back to her desk as she examined Harvey's schedule to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything that would need to be done first thing in the morning. "You like Mike, too."

"...I do," Harvey said reluctantly, like he was confessing to something shameful.

Donna thought about that for a moment as she finished tidying her desk and realized that, for him, he was.

"But wait. He really _cried_?"

She understood his incredulity. Mike didn't usually seem like a crier. Maybe pot made him emotional? "You have a meeting to get to," she pointed out, sliding her phone into her purse.

"Right." Harvey stared for a moment longer and then the weight of his regard faded. "I'm going to go squeeze a couple hundred million from a bunch of tight asses. Don't distract me."

Donna grinned, following him out.

In the morning, she got in ten minutes early to ensure no crises had occurred in the thirteen hours she'd been gone. She started with the messages as she always did. She recognized Jessica Pearson's voice at the beginning of the third message and and immediately grabbed a legal pad.

She started writing automatically before her brain caught up with the message and she automatically ran through Harvey's schedule yesterday, searching for something that could account for what she was hearing.

Fifteen minutes later, Harvey made his entrance on their floor and sauntered down the hall to his office.

"Good morning, Donna," he called, smiling. "Anything good? I can tell by your awestruck expression that I've done it again."

Donna held up a hand and quickly paused the message she was playing from one of the other partners asking for a second opinion on a tangled estate issue.

Harvey leaned into her desk, brow quirked faintly. "Emergency?"

"Nothing bad," Donna said, shaking her head. "And not to inflate your ego more than it already is, but this is impressive, even for you. Even considering the situation."

Harvey tilted his head. "You shouldn't talk about a man's ego in public. Especially mine. It makes others feel inadequate."

"They should, if they're comparing themselves to you," she said frankly. "They know better. Did you even _talk_ to this guy?"

Harvey's brow furrowed faintly, which told Donna what she needed to know. With a small smirk, she quickly scribbled Tom Keller's name on a sticky note and slid it over her desk.

"Ms. Pearson left a message. He _personally_ requested you for his team." She watched Harvey's eyes zero in on the note with intensity she usually only saw when he was dealing with other lawyers of reasonable competency.

Harvey walked back into his office with the slightly reluctant smile that was becoming more familiar in the office.

Donna looked after him, her own mouth twitching. She waited for him to settle behind his desk before buzzing him. "He's bringing you presents now. You're _allowed_ to like him. Even _I_ like him. Mostly."

"I'll keep that in mind," Harvey said, eyes narrowing faintly at her obvious amusement. He paused, looking vaguely indecisive but only because Donna had been with him for the last three years and could read him better than his mother, probably.

She grinned. "I'll make sure he comes up first thing."

Silence for a moment and Donna met his eyes through the glass challengingly.

Harvey finally laughed almost ruefully. "Thanks, Donna," he muttered. "God, what am I _doing_..."

She was reasonably sure that was meant to be a rhetorical question, so she didn't volunteer the things she thought he should be doing. At 9:05 A.M., she made the call to Mike's extension.

 _Hi, Donna? What's up? Harvey need me?_

Her mouth twitched though she kept the amusement from her voice when she spoke. "No, I thought we should catch up. We never talk anymore."

 _Ah...ha. Ha. Uh. You know I can't even tell if you're serious when I can see your face, right?_

She grinned. "He has something he'd like to discuss with you."

 _OK...be right up._

"Good idea," she said and ended the call before she laughed in his ear. He just sounded so _worried_ , like he wasn't sure how Harvey would feel about having a million-dollar client requesting him for First Chair without having to do any of the legwork himself.

She made sure not to look up when she waved him through since she didn't think she could keep a straight face for it. She might actually mention how sweet his crush on Harvey was and that might be bad for his self-esteem. More importantly, he might try to hide it, which would be bad for her entertainment.

She waited a few long seconds after telling him he could go in facing forward before shamelessly staring after him. Harvey was leaning back in his chair, smirking and she very casually slipped her headset on to listen.

"Good morning...?" Mike said.

"Mike," Harvey said, head inclining a fraction. "How'd things go with Louis?"

Donna watched her boss with narrow focus. That face...that was _definitely_ Harvey's fond-face. He really _did_ like Mike Ross of the tragic haircut and skinny ties.

Mike smiled a little more comfortably now, from what Donna could observe of his profile. Apparently, he was able to recognize the general tone of Harvey's Smug enough to know he wasn't mad. That was actually pretty good. Most new employees took a few months to get there.

Mike shifted slightly under Harvey's regard, face relaxing. "It went well."

Was he posing for Harvey? It sort of looked like it. _How cute,_ she thought. _The mating habits of the wild genius former drug dealer..._

Harvey stared him down for a long moment but Mike's confidence in whatever had happened with Louis -- and maybe whatever had put Harvey into such a good mood _before_ finding out about his new client -- held him up to the intense survey. Harvey let up just a little and leaned forward, tapping the note Donna had given him and sliding it over his desk. "So tell me how this happened."

Mike had barely glanced down before he flushed and his smile turned vaguely bashful. "Uh, well..."

"Go on." Harvey nodded with incredible patience for him. He even looked amused, for God's sake.

 _God, this is adorable,_ Donna thought. _Harvey Specter is_ infatuated. _I don't believe it._

Mike took a couple steps further into the room, closer to the desk, and shrugged. "Well, when I...when Louis t...uh."

Harvey waived a hand. "Your horrible lapse in judgment, yes: continue."

Mike nodded. "Well, I felt awful for lying to Tom--"

 _Already on first name basis?_ Donna thought, brow furrowing faintly before smoothing out. _No wonder Harvey is keeping an eye on him._

"I told him what Louis was up to," Mike admitted, eyes dropping briefly to the floor like he wasn't sure if he should be ashamed of the attack of conscience.

Harvey considered him quietly for a moment and then he nodded once, sharply. "Well, that's one thing you got right, then."

Mike looked up, face amusingly surprised. "You think--uh..." he licked his lips and tried to rein his expression in. "Right. Yeah. So he decided he wanted to switch because he wanted someone sharper. He was going to go with Louis with me on point because I'd be straight with him. I told him that, you know, for what he wanted, you were a better choice than Louis. I didn't want to tell you in case something--well. I wanted to wait until he called Jessica."

Harvey tilted his head. "And make sure you had something valuable to barter if I tried to fire you. Of course."

Mike ducked his head with a small smile. "It wasn't...entirely like that," he said, ducking his head a little. "Bribery, I mean."

 _God._ Donna could only stare. _Blackmail, broken promises, hero-worship and bribery. This must be like_ catnip _for Harvey._

"I'm sure." Harvey leaned back in his chair and smirked. "He switched...just like that?"

Mike frowned at him with some faint disbelief. "Have you _seen_ Louis? I'm sure he's a great lawyer but that man is seriously creepy. I was _highly uncomfortable_ in the locker room with him and I still had all of my clothes on."

Harvey snorted and Donna had to cover her mouth to muffle her own laughter.

"Even so, you must've really bonded with him if he took your advice just on that."

Mike shrugged. "After I told him the truth, we talked a little...I don't know, he's a good guy. He didn't mind about what happened."

Harvey's mouth twitched. "Good enough," he muttered. "Well. Apparently, I have a new multi-million dollar client I need to familiarize myself with...not bad for your second week."

Mike grinned. Not, she noted, without some honest self-deprecation as he said, "well, I need to give you a reason to keep me around."

Harvey's expression went inward, briefly, and Donna watched with blistering curiosity as he seemed to consider several courses of actions and then, with an air of certainty he only ever had when he was testing waters he _wasn't_ sure of, he stood and crossed around his desk. Mike stood still, watching him carefully.

Donna herself was watching pretty carefully from her desk.

Harvey deliberately set his hands on Mike's shoulders and then moved closer without letting Mike escape.

Mike swallowed obviously, his Adam's apple bobbing sharply above his collar before his stance firmed and he straightened from a slouch she hadn't even noticed. He shifted a little and Donna's mouth dropped open as he leaned _towards_ Harvey.

He even raised one hand to touch Harvey's elbow in response to Harvey's expression, which Donna _desperately_ wanted to see. Curse Harvey for deliberately angling away from her!

They stood like that for a long moment, neither one saying anything. Mike's eyes were wider than normal, so she wasn't the only one surprised by this turn of events.

Finally, Harvey spoke. "Do what I tell you to and you'll be fine. Seriously. I can handle the heat from Jessica if Louis bitches. Your job is to make _me_ happy."

Mike nodded immediately. "Right. I will! I really--I meant what I said. I need you to trust me, Harvey. I need...to be worthy of that."

Harvey nodded once. "All right. We won't have this problem again, then." He clapped Mike's shoulder gently pushed him towards the door. "You've got some paperwork to finish, I think. Better get to it. I hear your boss is a hardass."

Mike nodded twice, half backing out of the room and looking over his shoulder at the door. "Thanks, Harvey," he said softly.

Harvey looked up briefly and held Mike's eyes for a moment before he smiled faintly and then looked at the door deliberately.

Mike grinned and ducked out.

Donna did her best to pretend she hadn't just been watching her newest, favorite soap opera.

Once Mike was at the end of the hallway, Donna turned back to her mic and peered shamelessly at Harvey through his glass wall. "You going to take him home and show him how he can earn your trust?"

Harvey paused like he couldn't avoid automatically considering it and then gave her a dirty look.

She smiled. "A thought to warm the cockles of your heart."

Harvey shook his head at her and very deliberately looked back at his monitor. Donna covered her mouth to muffle the laughter that was finally escaping while Harvey obviously made the decision that ignorance was bliss.


End file.
